Amaranthe

Amaranthe
Amaranthe in 2012
Background information
Also known as Avalanche
Origin Gothenburg, Sweden
Genres
Years active 2008–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website amaranthe.se
Members Olof Mörck
Elize Ryd
Morten Løwe Sørensen
Johan Andreassen
Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson
Nils Molin
Past members Andreas Solveström
Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg

Amaranthe (/ˈæmərænθ/ AM-ə-ranth) is a Swedish heavy metal band, originally known as Avalanche. The band is notable for having three lead vocalists: Elize Ryd, Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson, and Nils Molin, each presenting a different vocal style.

History

Amaranthe live at Wacken Open Air 2018

Formed by Olof Mörck (Dragonland, Nightrage) and Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg (Dreamland, Dream Evil) in 2008, the project began taking shape when singers Elize Ryd (toured with Kamelot) and Andreas Solveström (Cipher System, Within Y) signed on, as did drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen (The Cleansing, Koldborn, Mercenary). Bassist Johan Andreassen (Engel) joined after the photoshoot for the Leave Everything Behind demo but before the recording of the first album Amaranthe. The band was originally called Avalanche, until May 2009, when the band was forced to change their name, due to legal issues.[1] The members chose to rename the band Amaranthe. They later released their first demo, Leave Everything Behind.

The band's debut album, Amaranthe, was released in April 2011 and reached a peak position of 35th on Swedish charts and 16th on Finnish Charts.[2][3] Their second album, The Nexus, was released in March 2013.[4] Guitarist Olof Mörck described the album as having greater contrasts, a more controversial mix of genres, and featuring more creative freedoms than Amaranthe.[5] According to Olof, the band "took everything [up] to eleven" in the new album.[5] The album reached 6th on Swedish charts,[2] 4th on Finnish charts,[3] and reached a peak of 12th on the US Heatseekers charts.[6]

In October 2013, harsh vocalist Solveström left the band and was replaced by Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson (Scarpoint).[4] Their third album, Massive Addictive, was released on 21 October 2014.[7] A special compilation Breaking Point - B-sides 2011-2015 was released on 30 October 2015. It consists b-sides and bonus tracks from Amaranthe's career. Their fourth album, Maximalism, was released on October 21, 2016.

In November 2016, male clean vocalist Jake E announced that he would take a break from the band.[8] In February 2017, he announced that he was permanently leaving the band.[9] In March 2017, he joined the new band CyHra.[10] In July 2017, Amaranthe stated on their Facebook page that Nils Molin of Dynazty would join the band as their permanent vocalist, after filling in for Jake E on tour dates.

On July 20, 2018, the German band Powerwolf released their album The Sacrament of Sin. Amaranthe appeared on the "Communio Lupatum" of that album with their cover version of Powerwolf's "Army of the Night" (originally from the album Blessed & Possessed, which was released on July 17, 2015).

On August 10, 2018, they released their new single, "365", from their new album Helix, which is due to be released on October 19.[11]

Musical style

Reviews of Amaranthe's style are varied, though they all acknowledge that they are mainly a subgenre of heavy metal. According to AllMusic, Amaranthe's musical style mixes death metal with melodic pop music, giving for a feel of metalcore overall.[12] Lead singer Elize Ryd acknowledges the difficulties in trying to ascribe their music to one specific genre and describes Amaranthe's sound as "dance-rock with a taste of death and modern/melodic metal," though she admits that, unlike death metal, their focus is on "positive energy" and "open[ing] up minds [and] give[ing] passion, strength and love".[13] MusicMight classifies the band as melodic death metal and power metal.[14] Sputnikmusic's overview of the band refers to them as an outfit that is a hybrid of metalcore and power metal, more specifically, combining heavy riffs and breakdowns with Ryd's "soaring vocals."[15]

Band members

Timeline

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "AVALANCHE Changes Name To AMARANTHE". May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "AMARANTHE". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  3. 1 2 "AMARANTHE". Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  4. 1 2 "Amaranthe | The Official Website". Amaranthe.com. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  5. 1 2 "INTERVIEW: AMARANTHE". Rock Revolt Magazine. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  6. ↑ "Amaranthe - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  7. ↑ "Amaranthe". Facebook.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Amaranthe Singer Jake E. Taking Break From Band". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  9. ↑ "Exclusive: AMARANTHE Vocalist JAKE E. Makes Departure Official - "I Can't Stand On Stage Not Believing In What I'm Doing"". Bravewords.com. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  10. ↑ "Ex-In Flames + Amaranthe Members Resurface in CyHra, Debut Album in the Works". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  11. ↑ "AMARANTHE To Release 'Helix' Album In October". Blabbermouth.net. August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Amaranthe - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Elize Ryd – Amaranthe". Femme Metal Webzine. 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  14. ↑ Born, R. "Amaranthe biography". MusicMight. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Amaranthe reviews, music, news". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
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